La verdad, después de una semana estudiando como solía el año pasado, estoy cansado.

Por fín me he sacado de encima el exámen de hardware, y ahora queda una mezcla de placer, descanso y agobio. Agobio por saber si la nota se merece el haberme tirado la semana estudiando; total,  para que luego no me salga la tasa de transferencia máxima de un DVD 12x…

Casum.

Por lo demás, no mucho.

He estado la semana estudiando, eso ya lo he dicho, cuando no he estado estudiando he estado durmiendo o perdiendo el tiempo de mala manera, cosa que ha cobrado factura, believe me.

La foto viene a que hoy quería poner una foto relacionada con algo único, así que he puesto en el Gugle “1″ y me ha salido el billete este que encaja sospechosamente a la perfección con la Casa Blanca en Washington, allí en los Yunaited Steits of America.

Y algo más, hoy me da mucho palo poner una canción, además que últimamente no me funcionaba, así que dejo un link del YouTube con la canción: dale. La canción es Take me with you, de The Jayhawks.

All Work And No Play Makes Loft And Lost A Dull Boy
All Work And No Play Makes Loft And Lost A Dull Boy
All Work And No Play Makes Loft And Lost A Dull Boy
All Work And No Play Makes Loft And Lost A Dull Boy

So here we are again. Pretty much two weeks of constant work, with a special highlight of being called back into the office at 11pm and not leaving till nearly six hours later. Fun. Mind you, it’s strange being in a huge office block at stupid o’clock, working alongside the cleaners (poor buggers, some of them using their short breaks to catch up on their sleep. Many of them work two or three jobs. If anyone wants to understand the real face of immigration, and how these people get abused by everyone around them, go and sit in any big office at 3am and see how hard these people really work, for very little money. They need all the help and protection they can get. Anyway, /rant).

And of course working stupid hours means very little time for music. I’ve got approximately 26 million records to listen to, comprising Mew, School of Seven Bells, Monsters Of Folk, The Flaming Lips, Volcano Choir and that effing sodding Warp 20 Box Set that’s undoubtably great but going to take about a week to get through. Notwithstanding all the other stuff that’s around, new tracks and Word CDs and the like. Then there’s records I haven’t even got yet but will soon, like Richard Hawley.

I think I’m going to invent some magic time machine that stops time around me and lets me sit there in peace, listening to all this fabulous new music. Then, I could flip a switch and everyone round me would suddenly come to life again. Great idea, eh? What do you mean someone’s already thought of it? Oh. Oh dear.

Anyway, this week I have mostly been listening to The Jayhawks.

They are a band that have always hovered on the edge of my conciousness. Always heard their name, vaguely associated them with some sort of easy/country-rock, never really gone out of my way to listen to them. But browsing through Amazon the other week, it did one of those “other people who bought this also bought…” and The Jayhawks new compilation was there. Hell, I’ll buy that, how bad can it be?

And it’s not bad at all. In fact, it’s damn good. Hailing from the Twin Cities, Gary Louris and Mark Olson make the kind of warm, emotional, heartfelt country rock sound so beloved of later bands like Wilco (before they went all arty). They never quite made it big, suffering from the usual misfortunes of many a great band, with founding members buggering off at just the wrong moment, but they are still around and touring, and amazingly for a band whose recording history spans 15 years, the songs at the end of the CD (it’s in chronological order – take that, The Best of Roxy Music!) are as good, if not better, than the ones at the start. And the song “The Man Who Loved Life” was played at Jeff Buckley’s funeral.

I wholeheartedly recommend you listen to the tracks below, then go out and buy the CD. Twice.

MP3: Blue by The Jayhawks

MP3: Big Star by The Jayhawks

Buy “Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology” (CD/MP3)

Like my blog? Please help spread the word:

I’ve referenced The Jayhawks before, but here’s the deal: I’ve been listening to them on constant repeat for a solid year, and each time it sounds as good as the last.  I can’t offer up much higher praise than that.  This is probably their best song:

One of these fine days, I’m going to upgrade and host my own bloggage, at which point I will commence to upload some tracks of my own.  Nothing on YouTube or elsewhere that I could locate off The Jayhawks’ 1986 debut, my second-favorite after Rainy Day Music, above.   A Letterman appearance will have to suffice:

From their 3rd-best album, Smile (which, I note, is still better than 99% of “best albums” out there):

Sometimes I catch myself wondering the same thing:

What I like about The Jayhawks: not even a slick Sony/BMG can make these guys look like rock stars.

More next week.

Tonight is Radio Loveless from 8 to 10 pm on KRUI 89.7 fm or online here. The title of today’s post can be found in the album below:

1. I’m going to start with a live version of Sonic Youth’s Hyperstation off of the reissued Daydream Nation Box set. This album first came out in 1988, and was Sonic Youth’s fifth album.
2. Yo La Tengo, Popular Songs, Periodically Double or Triple
Yes, the twelfth album from Yo La Tengo has arrived.

3. Tortoise, TNT, The Equator
This mostly instrumental band formed back in 1990 and are still recording. TNT was released in 1998.
4. The Mary Onettes, Puzzles-Single, Puzzles
This sounds like early 80s sweet synth-pop. I love it, it came out last month.
Here’s a review of the band by Pitchfork.
5. Echo and the Bunnymen, Songs to Learn and Sing, The Back of Love
This compilation album was released in 1985, the single was originally released in 1982 and added to their Porcupine release.
6. The Cure, Faith (1981), Faith
7. Elliott Smith, From a Basement On the Hill (2004), A Passing Feeling

8. Sebadoh, III (1991), The Freed Pig
9. Frank Zappa, Apostrophe’ (1974)/Overnite Sensation, Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow (A Request!)
10. Polvo, In Prism, Beggar’s Bowl
In Prism is Polvo’s fifth studio album released on Merge Records and their first since 1997’s Shapes. Beggar’s Bowl is streaming on line here.

11. Uzeda, Stella (Sicilian group formed in 1987, this album came out in 2006), This Heat
12. Cocteau Twins, Head Over Heals (1983), My Love Paramour
13. Mogwai, Rock Action (2001), Take Me Somewhere Nice
14. Gene Loves Jezebel, Voodoo Dollies-The Best of Gene Loves Jezebel, Bruises
15. The Evens, Get Evens (2006), Eventually
16. Beefeater, Plays for Lovers (1985) & House Burning Down (1987), A Dog Day
17. Mission of Burma, The Definitive Editions Compilation, All World Cowboy Romance
Originally this track was off of Signals, Calls, and Marches released in 1981.
18. Grant Lee Buffalo, Mighty Joe Moon (1994), Sing Along

19. The Jayhawks, Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995), Ten Little Kids
20. TV on the Radio, Dear Science, DLZ
(I dare you not to dance.)

21. New Order, (The Best Of) New Order, Let’s Go (Nothing for Me)
22. Gang of Four, Entertainment (1979), At Home He’s a Tourist
23. XTC, Go 2 (1978), Are You Receiving Me?
24. Les Savy Fav, 3/5 (1997), Scout’s Honor
25. Q and not U, Hot and Informed-EP, Busy Lights Busy Carpet
26. Sunny Day Real Estate, Diary, Song About an Angel

Back in February, my good friend Chelsea was flying from Manchester, England, back to her home in Tennessee. Because she’s such a good friend, she scheduled a layover in Philadelphia so that we could spent some quality time together; not knowing what else to do, I suggested we have some Indian food and check out AKA Music.

The less said about the Indian food the better (don’t get me wrong – I’m a huge fan of it, and I have Chelsea and Cameron to thank for introducing me to it, but this particular restaurant wasn’t all that impressive to me), but this was my first time at AKA Music, despite it being recommended to me two years prior by tapehead letter writer Sean. Needless to say, I felt like a kid in a candy store, and even though I didn’t have a job at the time, I walked around the aisles, gently pawing the CDs and vinyl, trying to decide if I really needed to pay off my credit card debt or if I should just add to it. In the end, I opted for the latter, but only slightly: my purchases that day were Richard and Linda Thompson’s I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, Floratone’s eponymous debut album, and the Jayhawks’ Rainy Day Music.

I had set out specifically to purchase the first two, or at least had the idea planted in my mind for a while; the Jayhawks, though, was an impulse purchase, and had been recommended to me by good friend Chelsea. In fact, she walked up to me as I was looking in the Rolling Stones section (in case they had released a new album and, for some improbable reason, I wasn’t aware of it), thrust the CD into my hand, and said, “You would like these guys. I think you should get this.” I did as she suggested (it was a used copy, and I can’t argue with a $5 sticker price), and listened to it on the way home from the airport after I dropped her off.

What immediately struck me about the band is that they sound a lot like the Byrds – at least, my perception of what the Byrds sound like, or what little of theirs I’m familiar with. The songs are rife with jangly, ringing guitars, sugar-sweet harmonies, and a bright disposition, even if the subject matter often isn’t: witness album opener ‘Stumbling Through The Dark’, of a girl who fell in love, only to not find the object of her attraction reciprocate those feelings; or ‘Tailspin’, about a convicted man getting the chair. This is dark subject matter, yet the words are married to upbeat, almost jubilant melodies, and infectious choruses that you can’t help but sing along to.

There are a handful of slower songs, too: ‘All The Right Reasons’, is more of a ballad, and wears its CSNY inspiration on its sleeve; ‘Madman’, too, could have been a Déja Vu outtake. Album closer ‘Will I See You In Heaven?’ is a lazy waltz, with more of an emphasis on the vocals while pushing the other instruments – acoustic guitar, a wheezy pump organ, some light strings – to the back of the mix. Otherwise, this is mostly an upbeat album, with several surprises. ‘Save It For A Rainy Day’ is the jauntiest of the bunch, and is probably the most accessible, with a jangly 12-string Rickenbacker and a nice harmonica solo; ‘One Man’s Problem’ sounds a lot like a rejected Wilco song, but, of course, that’s not a bad thing at all.

I’m convinced that, if you’re in a band and you want a loyal female following, all you have to do is write a song with a female’s name, and voila – instant hit. It worked with countless Beatles and Beach Boys songs, giving their audiences something to swoon at in concert. The Jayhawks get adventurous here, with not one but two “name” songs: ‘The Eyes of SarahJane’, a darker tune with some prominent percussion (congas, maracas, etc.) and a percolating Hammond organ, and ‘Angelyne’, which is more in the alt-country vein, with hints of cajun, featuring some twangy 12-string guitar and an accordian buried deeper in the mix.

All of the songs were written by Gary Louris, who has an obvious appreciation for early 1970s folk-country rock, with the exception of ‘Don’t Let The World Get In Your Way’ (my personal favorite song: anthemic with a memorable chorus, inspirational in its lyrical message) and ‘Tampa To Tulsa’ (an obvious nod to Neil Young, and a refreshing breather following the moodier ‘You Look So Young’) by drummer Tim O’Reagan, and ‘Will I See You In Heaven?’ by Marc Perlman. Matthew Sweet, known as a fairly prominent power pop singer-songwriter in his own right, cowrote ‘Stumbling Through The Dark’ (and its nice but inconsequential reprise) and provided backing vocals on a trio of songs, and Jakob Dylan added his own distinctive voice as a backing on ‘Come To The River’.

The one drawback to the album is that there isn’t a whole load of diversity, and even the faster songs are relatively restrained and tame, so one has to be in the right kind of mood to properly enjoy it. (And with 14 songs and running nearly an hour, the lack of diversity can be a little taxing.) Yet there’s a paradox when it comes to the title: these are songs that are just begging to be listened to on a bright, sunny day, whether the listener is driving on windy, tree-lined backroads or through the country with cornstalks and farmland on either side. But do yourself a favor, and don’t listen to it on a cold, rainy day, because it’ll just make you want warmer weather all the more.

Essential listening: Stumbling Through The Dark, Tailspin, Save It For A Rainy Day, One Man’s Problem, Don’t Let The World Get In Your Way, Madman, Will I See You In Heaven?

The Jayhawks: Music From The North Country – The Jayhawks Anthology (American, 2009)

The Jayhawks is one of my own favourite bands. They were a giant landmark on my way from pop music to country music. Obviously I didn’t abandon pop music. Bands like The Jayhawks and Wilco just made me realize that country music might have something to offer as well. I’m grateful for that. After all, where would I be without country music. Who knows, I might even be happy. I might be singing pretty pop songs on the beach instead of squeezing my self pity into an empty whiskey bottle in a dark room. Hurray for country music.

There’s two versions of The Jayhawks Anthology. There’s the 1 CD version that only contains the best of part and then there’s this bigger version that contains an additional disc of rarities and a DVD. Mine is obviously the bigger version, because the interesting part for The Jayhawks fans are the rarities. I already have all the albums so the greatest hits disc wasn’t a must, but it’s a welcome reminder about the fact that The Jayhawks created some of the finest music of the last 20 years.  The so-called alternative country just doesn’t get any better than this. Gary Louris and Mark Olson were both fantastic songwriters and the singing. Oh my, oh my. It’s just heavenly. Those voices just fit together so perfectly. It’s a great collection of their finest songs. I couldn’t have done a better job with the selection. Well I could come up with a few that should be there, but I wouldn’t have the heart to remove any of the ones that made the cut.  A perfect introduction for the ones that don’t know the band.

The rarities is the important part for a long time fan. It has some great demos like Olson’s Mission On 2nd and Louris’  I Can Make It On My Own. B-sides and compilation tracks are also most welcome. Victoria Williams cover Lights and Darling Today from Blown Away soundtrack are the standout songs for me. The big dump rocker Get The Load Out is also a great one. Heck, that would be more suited for KISS than The Jayhawks. Enjoyable stuff nevertheless. Rarities dics also contains several early versions of their (should-be) famous songs. It’s quite interesting to see how the songs have evolved from the early days, but I’m not sure do I really need them. They are great as well, but the finished jewels would be  enough for me.

CD 1:

CD 2:

Overall:

The Jayhawks Website
The Jayhawks at myspace

Indie/alternative rock supergroup (really?) The Thorns consisted of Matthew Sweet, Peter Droge and Shawn Mullins. They recorded one album to my knowledge around 2003. Here they are with a Jayhawks number. For my wife who says the Jayhawks version is better, even though we are both fans of Matthew Sweet & Co.

Claro, claro! No hay dos sin tres!! Porque me faltaba plasmar lo más importante. Más que nada porque es lo que todavía no ha sucedido de las cosas que llevo comentando en las últimas entradas.
Ahora mismo … Bueno, dentro de un rato. Me voy, de nuevo, hasta Sos del Rey Católico para la última de las retransmisiones de la actual temporada. De momento, la última también de festivales de verano. Pena?? Pues si, porque da rabia que muchos fines de semana tengas que decantarte por una simple opción teniendo muchísimas otras sólo en Aragón, por no hablar de otras comunidades autónomas. Cierto descanso?? Pues también, para que te voy a engañar. Aunque considero que realizar pequeños viajes hasta parajes con encanto, disponer de alojamiento cuando se tercia, trato agradable y tu trabajo consiste en estar muy pendiente de un concierto musical y todo lo que al mismo rodea … pues, apetece, para que negarlo. Me considero agraciado en mi trabajo y con quienes trabajo. Es simple.
Por eso con cierto sentimiento de despedida de una etapa, aunque puedan parecer cortas tres o cuatro semanas, me vuelvo a la localidad de Las Cinco Villas para retransmitir, por Aragón Radio, el concierto de CARMEN PARÍS.
Recordar que ya tuve oportunidad de retransmitir el que ofreció en las Fiestas del Pilar 08. Me lo pasé muy bien y espero repetir hoy sábado. Lo único es la hora de inicio de la retransmisión: 0:30h de la madrugada del domingo ya … Aguantaremos frescos a su inicio. Nos deleitaremos, mientras, con CHAMBAO que, aunque no es una de mis bandas favoritas, creo que no me amargará tampoco esos instantes previos. Os imagináis un dúo con La Mari y Carmen??? NO, yo tampoco. Más que nada porque creo que además viene con el tiempo muy justo. Como para improvisar algo, sábee!!!
En todo caso, os lo cuento más adelante.

P.D. Para avanzar un poco, el martes que viene, 18 de agosto, THE JAYHAWKS a las 22:05h en www.aragonradio.es .

lista – em ordem de preferência – dos discos lançados esse ano. sim, sou doente por tops.

01. Together Through Life (Bob Dylan)
02. Music From the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology (The Jayhawks)
03. Wilco – The Album (Wilco)
04. Already Free (The Derek Trucks Band)
05. Amor Vincit Omnia (Pure Reason Revolution)
06. No Bagagge (Dolores O´Riordan)
07. Dark Was the Night (Vários Artistas)
08. The Eternal (Sonic Youth)
09. Fork in the Road (Neil Young)
10. Veckatimest (Grizzly Bear)
11. Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle (Bill Callahan)
12. The Devil You Know (Heaven and Hell)
13. Years of Refusal (Morrissey)
14. The Liberty of Norton Folgate (Madness)
15. American Central Dust (Son Volt)
16. Song Of The Pearl (Arbouretum)
17. A Positive Rage (The Hold Steady)
18. Secret, Profane and Sugarcane (Elvis Costello)
19. Wait For Me (Moby)
20. Tonight (Franz Ferdinand)
21. No Line on the Horizon (U2)

Marc Olson y Gary Louris, los que fueran líderes de los míticos Jayhawks, abrieron la noche con su country rock acústico. Luciéndose con las guitarras y las melodías vocales interpretaron un setlist sin sobresaltos, al menos hasta la parte final, donde se les unió Mike Mills al bajo y consiguieron alborotar un poco al graderío.

La parte más divertida de la noche estaba por llegar, tras un pequeño susto en forma de chaparrón, The Baseball Project consiguió salir a escena. Este super grupo está formado por Mike Mills (bajista de R.E.M., que sustituye temporalmente a Peter Buck), Scott McCaughey (The Young Fresh Fellows, The Minus 5 y músico de apoyo de R.E.M.), Steve Wynn (lideró Dream Syndicate) y Linda Pitmon (batería de Steve Wynn), hacen rock and roll con letras basadas en historias de jugadores de baseball americano, y se atravieron con el castellano en la letra del tema dedicado al pitcher Fernando Valenzuela. Dieron un concierto muy divertido y salvaje por momentos, con un final apoteósico con acoples provocados, punteos por el suelo, golpes a los instrumentos y el público reclamando el bis con “oes oes” futboleros.

Un dimanche ensoleillé, tandis que revenant de la messe mon voisin ouvre son journal “la croix”,  je me réveille lentement en écoutant “Tomorrow the Green Grass” des Jayhawks, un groupe de country alternative fort sympathique qui rappelle entre autres les fantastiques Byrds ou le Buffalo Springfield. Je me dis qu’au lieu de tenir cette vacherie de blog je pourrai foutre le camp avec ce disque dans l’autoradio de ma voiture, et partir au bord de l’atlantique… encore quelques semaines à tenir, et putain c’est long ! Mais je m’eloigne, revenons à  “Tomorrow the Green Grass“,  l’album est paru en 1995 sur American Recordings et a été produit par un certain George Drakoulias, celui-là même qui produisait en 1990 et 1992 les deux premiers albums des Black Crowes dont le monumental “Southern Harmony and Musical Companion“. D’ailleurs ce mec traîne une histoire assez singulière derrière lui, en fait il a eu un bol de damné en rencontrant l’ex-copine de Rubin à l’université, laquelle le présentera au géant du music business qui lui proposera une place de producteur sur son tout nouveau label “Def American” plus tard rebaptisé “American Recordings”. Il y produira entre autres Les Black Crowes comme je le disais plus haut, White Trash, Tom Petty, Maria Mckee et les Jayhawks. En fait, je dois avouer que je ne connaissais absolument pas ce groupe et que c’est tout d’abord le titre de l’album et ensuite le nom de Drakoulias qui m’ont convaincu de l’écouté chez mon disquaire (oui je suis de la vieille école, de celle qui peut encore se vanter d’être pure… il s’agit quand on aime la musique de ne pas devenir nocif pour elle… mais je digresse encore ! mouai… pas tant que ça !).

Le premier morceau de l’album “Blue” a fait l’effet d’une claque, un son proche de ce qui se faisait dans les seventies, des voix qui respirent les sixties, on pense d’emblée à Simon & Garfunkel ou même aux Beach Boys (période “Pet Sound” hein!) pour se rendre compte au fil du disque, “I’d run away”, “Real Light”, “Pray for Me”, que les influences sont beaucoup plus complexes et fleurent bon la perfection, The Byrds, Bufallo Springfield , Grateful Dead, Johnny Cash et tout ce gratin sixties que ma génération (de cons) déclare “Has Been” puisqu’elle est incapable d’apprécier de la musique par elle même préférant se contenter de la merde qu’on lui injecte directement dans les oreilles ! On notera le sublime “Bad Time” avec Sharleen Spiteri, chanteuse de Texas, aux choeurs et la ballade “Two Heart” qui bien que particulière coule tel une rivière tranquille, comme le reste du disque au final.

Un album qui invite la route, le voyage la nostalgie aussi, bref un très bon disque bourré d’harmonies vocales sublimes et d’émotions. Je vais d’ailleurs bouger, mettre les voiles, je ne sais pas ou… à pied… en forêt… Bon dimanche.

The is part 1 of another music packed episode. Plenty of listening pleasure. Part 2 will be up on Sunday.

Download the episode HERE

Music in this episode

- A Good Reason by Broken Records (from Until The Earth Begins To Part)
www.BrokenRecordsBand.com

- Never A Harbor AND Secrets Of The Burgh by Cobalt & The Hired Guns (from Jump The Fence)
www.CobaltAndTheHiredGuns.com

- Wont Be Coming Home (1991 Demo) AND Get The Load Out By The Jayhawks (from Music From The North Country)
www.Myspace.com/TheJayhawks

- Back On The Booze AND Living In Loserville by Steve McCormick (from Lowlights And Footnotes)
www.SteveMcCormick.co.uk/

- Second Song (Feat. Keller Williams) AND Edges (Feat. Bela Fleck) by Assembly Of Dust (from Some Assembly Required)
www.AoDust.com

- The River by Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers (from The Confiscation EP)
www.SamanthaCrain.com

Jimmy, Bob, and Jack AND The Daze by Backyard Tire Fire (from Backyard Tire Fire Sampler)
www.BackyardTireFire.com

Backyard Tire Fire Sampler AVAILABLE FOR FREE HERE
(Note: The flash widget is being too friendly, so here’s a link

This episode is sponsored by Emusic.com and GuitarCenter.com. Visit my sponsor page for their special deals HERE.

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E-Mail: Von@AmericanaRoots.com

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Show #32  features the new CD from CHARLIE ROBISON called Beautiful Day. Also new songs from RITA HOSKING, TODD SNIDER and GEOFF UNION. The full playlist is posted below.  Here’s the iTunes link to subscribe or download the show and here’s the link to the direct download link to listen right now on your computer. Check the artist’s websites and order their CD’s or downloads and tell ‘em you heard the songs on the FTB podcast. Please email me with any questions, comments or suggestions for the podcasts.

Show #32

CHARLIE ROBISON – Beautiful Day Beautiful Day
SAMANTHA CRAIN – Rising Sun Songs in the Night
CLINT OSMUS AND THE BUSHMILLS – Sweet Alicia Clint Osmus and the Bushmills
THE JAYHAWKS – Stone Cold Mess Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology
(mic break)
RITA HOSKING – Let ‘Em Run Come Sunrise
TODD SNIDER – Slim Chance The Excitement Plan
ROBIN DEAN SALMON – Ready Now Come On Home
CHARLIE ROBISON – Feelin’ Good Beautiful Day
(mic break)
THE FELICE BROTHERS – All When We Were Young Yonder Is The Clock
RHYTHM ANGELS - If I Had A Gun Girls Like Us
PHIL LEE - Where A Rat’s Lips Have Touched So Long, It’s Been Good To Know You
GEOFF UNION – Econoline Song Big Sky Tonight
(mic break)
CHARLIE ROBISON – If the Rain Don’t Stop/Middle of the Night Beautiful Day

Bill Frater
Freight Train Boogie

the most amazing song by the jayhawks what a combination these guys are

The Jayhawks – Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology [Deluxe Edition] (2009)

“Formed in Minneapolis in 1985 around the songwriting duo of Mark Olson and Gary Louris – along with bassist Marc Perlman – the Jayhawks brought together the best elements of country, folk, and rock. After four studio albums (including Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow The Green Grass) and numerous U.S. tours, Olson parted company in 1995, leaving Louris to carry on with a revolving lineup of bandmates, releasing the critically acclaimed albums Sound Of Lies, Smile and Rainy Day Music.

But that wasn’t to signal the end of Olson and Louris’ partnership. The duo reunited for three songs on Olson’s 2007 solo album The Salvation Blues, and they decided to continue working together under their own names. An album, Ready For The Flood, was released by New West this past January.

With Olson and Louris currently on the road performing both new songs and classic Jayhawks tracks, the time is right to release the Jayhawks’ first-ever compilation. Music From The North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology spans six Jayhawks albums, including their debut on Twin-Tone (Blue Earth) and the five albums cut for American Recordings. This double-CD-plus-DVD set gathers together b-sides, rarities, and previously unreleased material. The package was put together under the guidance of Gary Louris.”